From: Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.ccsend.com] on behalf of Ron Hays [ron@oklahomafarmreport.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 16, 2010 5:08 AM
To: Hays, Ron
Subject: Oklahoma's Farm News Update
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Oklahoma's latest farm and ranch news
Your Update from Ron Hays of RON for Thursday December 16, 2010
A service of Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, Midwest Farm Shows and KIS Futures!
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-- Senate Shoots GOP-Obama Tax Deal to the House on the Strength of an 81 to 19 Vote
-- Wayne Pacelle and HSUS Target Smithfield Foods With Their Latest Undercover Video
-- Higher Placements and On Feed Numbers Predicted for Friday's Cattle on Feed Report
-- Beck Johnson named 2010 Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser of the Year
-- How Many Heifers to Keep??
-- Wheat Exports Continue to Look Strong Into New Calendar Year
-- If I Had the Talent- I'd Make It Rhyme- We Send Birthday Greetings to a Legend Turned 99!
-- Let's Check the Markets!

Howdy Neighbors!

Here's your morning farm news headlines from the Director of Farm Programming for the Radio Oklahoma Network, Ron Hays. We are proud to have KIS Futures as a regular sponsor of our daily email update. KIS Futures provides Oklahoma Farmers & Ranchers with futures & options hedging services in the livestock and grain markets- Click here for the free market quote page they provide us for our website or call them at 1-800-256-2555.

We are also excited to have as one of our sponsors for the daily email Producers Cooperative Oil Mill, with 64 years of progress through producer ownership. Call Brandon Winters at 405-232-7555 for more information on the oilseed crops they handle, including sunflowers and canola- and remember they post closing market prices for canola and sunflowers on the PCOM website- go there by clicking here.

And we salute our longest running email sponsor- Midwest Farm Shows, producer of the just concluded Tulsa Farm Show.. Click here for the Midwest Farm Show main website to learn more about their lineup of shows around the country, including the Southern Plains Farm Show next April in Oklahoma City.

If you have received this by someone forwarding it to you, you are welcome to subscribe and get this weekday update sent to you directly by clicking here.


Senate Shoots GOP-Obama Tax Deal to the House on the Strength of an 81 to 19 Vote
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A far-reaching $858 billion tax plan negotiated by the White House and Republican leaders sailed through the Senate on Wednesday and was headed for a vote Thursday in the House, as lawmakers rushed to prevent a New Year's tax hike from striking virtually every American household.
For agriculture, two issues are riding along with the so called Bush Tax Cuts- a fix for the estate tax and biofuel credits that are being extended under the deal pulled together by the GOP and the President.

We talked Wednesday evening with Colin Woodall of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association- while they don't like the ethanol tax credits being extended- the overriding issue for them is the deal to provide Death Tax relief.
Woodall says it's amazing that they are on the verge of a two year Estate Tax fix that includes a five million dollar per person exemption, indexed for inflation and with stepped up basis included. The tax rate for estates that exceed that threshold is 35%.

We have our conversation that we had shortly before midnight on Wednesday evening with Colin Woodall of the NCBA on our website- www.OklahomaFarmReport.Com- he had been working the Death Tax issue since very early yesterday morning. Click on the LINK below and check it out.

Click here for more on the Estate Tax battle that is apparently into the home stretch in our Nation's Capitol.


Wayne Pacelle and HSUS Target Smithfield Foods With Their Latest Undercover Video
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The Humane Society of the United States is asking Smithfield Foods to honor its commitment made in January, 2007 to convert its gestation-sow housing system from stalls to pens over a course of 10-years. The severe economic downturn that hit U.S. agriculture and the pork industry in particular from 2007 through early this year has delayed that course and Smithfield says it will not reach its goal. Smithfield is the world's largest pork producer.

Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, says - now that Smithfield has just posted its highest-ever quarterly profit, it's a good time to make a public pledge to honor its previous commitment. According to Pacelle, - the company can no longer claim that economic circumstances don't allow for facility improvements.
HSUS is pressing their agenda against Smithfield by releasing another undercover video. This time, a HSUS employee was able to sneak onto the payroll of Smithfield for 30 days and illicitly record video of a Waverly, Virginia facility owned by Murphy-Brown Farms, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods.

In a statement, Smithfield says its number one priority is care and safety of its hogs and its employees. The company has hired renowned animal welfare expert Temple Grandin to review the events depicted in the video and recommend changes to its animal well-being procedures.

Click here for more on the story- including an audio overview of the HSUS call for change in their Wednesday news conference.


Higher Placements and On Feed Numbers Predicted for Friday's Cattle on Feed Report
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The final Cattle on Feed Report of the year is scheduled to be released on Friday afternoon, December 17, 2010. Rich Nelson of Allendale is one of several analysts that offer a preview of what they think the report may indicate.

According to Nelson, November Placements are expected to be 8.3% larger than last year. This represents four months in a row of higher placements. Cow/calf producers continue to liquidate. This means high cow slaughter and reduced heifer retention. Those heifers are flooding the sale barn and the feedlot. Cattle feeders are now looking at breakevens at around $98 currently. December corn futures averaged 545 1/2 in October and rose 6 3/4 to 552 1/4 in November. Cattle placed in November will be marketed from April through August.

Allendale anticipates a Marketing total 10.3% larger than November of 2009. 5.1% of that increase was due to one more weekday in 2010 versus last year. Weekly slaughters will remain larger than last year into early summer.

Total Cattle on Feed as of December 1 will be 3.0% larger than last year, if Allendale's expectations are met.

Our Beef Buzz for this Thursday is featuring comments from Dr. Derrell Peel of OSU on the upcoming COF numbers- click on the LINK below to find out his thoughts about this final feedlot nose count of the year.

Click here for our Beef Buzz with Derrell Peel of OSU on his take on this week's Cattle on Feed Report.


Beck Johnson named 2010 Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser of the Year
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Beck Johnson, Johnson Agronomics, Inc., Weatherford was awarded the 2010 Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser of the Year at the Oklahoma Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) annual meeting held at Oklahoma State University yesterday at their noon luncheon. This award was based on 30 years of crop advising experience recognizing him as a certified crop adviser who delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that he is a leader in his field, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge within the agriculture industry.

Beck consults 40-50 producers in Blaine, Caddo, Washita and Custer counties on 8,000-10,000 acres providing independent research based recommendation on dry land crops including: wheat, milo, cotton, canola and alfalfa as well as irrigated crops including: corn, soybeans, cotton, peanuts, watermelons, spinach, mustard and collard greens, potatoes, peas and various vegetable crops.

Congrats to Beck- who by the way is an alum of the Oklahoma Ag Leadership Program. Click on the LINK below for more details about his crop consulting business and the award he received on Wednesday.

Click here for more on Beck Johnson, the 2010 Oklahoma Certified Crop Advisor of the Year


How Many Heifers to Keep??
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Much is currently being written about the need to re-grow the nation's cow herd. Individual ranches must make the decisions about heifer retention based upon factors that directly affect their bottom-line. Dr. Glenn Selk of the OSU Animal Science Department offers us some ideas of how we answer the question above.

Matching the number of cattle to the grass and feed resources on the ranch is a constant challenge for any cow-calf producer. Also producers strive to maintain cow numbers to match their marketing plans for the long term changes in the cattle cycle. Therefore it is a constant struggle to evaluate the number of replacement heifers that must be developed or purchased to bring into the herd each year.

As a starting place in the effort to answer this question, it is important to look at the "average" cow herd to understand how many cows are in each age category. Dr. Kris Ringwall, director of the Dickinson, North Dakota Research and Extension Center recently reported on the average number of cows in their research herd by age group for the last 20 years. Ringwall's research indicates that the typical herd will, "on the average", introduce 17% new first calf heifers each year. Stated another way, if 100 cows are expected to produce a calf each year, 17 of them will be having their first baby.

Dr. Selk then looks at the number of heifers it takes to get to that 17% if that is the number you determine is correct for your herd. Click on the LINK below to see more of the math- and a link to an OSU research paper that goes even more in depth.

Click here for more of the answer to the question- How Many Heifers?


Wheat Exports Continue to Look Strong Into New Calendar Year
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Wheat export expectations continue to look very strong for the current marketing year as we wind down 2010 and look into the early part of 2011- so says the President of US Wheat Associates, Alan Tracy. Right at harvest time in Oklahoma and into southern Kansas, price and export prospects were bleak with the export market being incredibly picky about protein discounts. By the latter part of July, the situation was rapidly changing and it has remained much more bullish for wheat sales since that point.

We caught up with Alan Tracy at the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association and talked with him about the current strength of the market, what he was hearing at a major buyers conference in South Africa right around Thanksgiving as well as what lies ahead for US wheat exports as we make preparations for biotech wheat.

Click on the LINK below to jump to our web story with Alan Tracy- and a chance to listen to our conversation with him this past Saturday while he was in Oklahoma City for the annual meeting of the Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association.

Click here for our conversation with Alan Tracy of US Wheat Associates.


If I Had the Talent- I'd Make It Rhyme- We Send Birthday Greetings to a Legend Turned 99!
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There are very few legends in any business, but one gentleman that qualifies in my chosen profession is Russell Pierson, who turned 99 on Wednesday of this week. Russell was a county agent turned farm broadcaster for one of the legendary radio stations (and later TV) in the country, WKY Radio in Oklahoma City. The 930 signal covered a lot of the state- and coupled with the TV signal of Channel 4 in Oklahoma City- meant that this legend held court in the business of farm news and market dissemination for several decades.

Before his retirement from first the TV and then the Radio- Russell was known his sharp wit, ability to explain the farm news of the day and his end of the program poems about all sorts of subjects. Since his retirement from Gaylord Broadcasting, he has kept busy with the hay and bedding concession at the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City.

When I first came to Oklahoma City in 1977, it was Russell Pierson and Ken Root on Channel 4 and WKY Radio and Bill Hare and Wayne Liles on Channel 9 (where I have landed all these years later). These men- especially Russell, Bill and Wayne (sorry Ken- you were a lot closer in age to me and so not quite in that upper atmosphere compared to other 3) were bigger than life. They were loved by their farm and ranch audiences- and while they were competitors- I never detected a bit of meanness when we all ended up together at some event.
The business of agricultural reporting is a lot different today than back when- but the magic these men had with their audience always amazed me- and something that as I have built rapport with you, my listeners, viewers and now readers- I have always strived for and as a result, have never taken your interest in what we do for granted. The other two gentlemen that worked for News9 have gone on to their reward- but I am thankful they and Russell were here when I arrived and I had a few years to watch them here in Oklahoma City "hold court" and learn how they told the story. Happy Birthday Russell- and we look forward to celebrating number 100 next year!


Our thanks to Midwest Farms Shows, PCOM, P & K Equipment/ P & K Wind Energy, Johnston Enterprises, American Farmers & Ranchers, KIS Futures and Big Iron Online Auctions for their support of our daily Farm News Update. For your convenience, we have our sponsors' websites linked here- just click on their name to jump to their website- check their sites out and let these folks know you appreciate the support of this daily email, as their sponsorship helps us keep this arriving in your inbox on a regular basis- FREE!

We also invite you to check out our website at the link below to check out an archive of these daily emails, audio reports and top farm news story links from around the globe.

Click here to check out WWW.OklahomaFarmReport.Com


Let's Check the Markets!
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We've had requests to include Canola prices for your convenience here- and we will be doing so on a regular basis. Current cash price for Canola is $9.50 per bushel, while the 2010 New Crop contracts for Canola are now available are $10.20 per bushel- delivered to local participating elevators that are working with PCOM.

Here are some links we will leave in place on an ongoing basis- Click on the name of the report to go to that link:
Our Daily Market Wrapup from the Radio Oklahoma Network with Ed Richards and Tom Leffler- analyzing the Futures Markets from the previous Day-
Ron on RON Markets as heard on K101 mornings with cash and futures reviewed- includes where the Cash Cattle market stands, the latest Feeder Cattle Markets Etc.
Previous Day's Wheat Market Recap- Two Pager From The Kansas City Board of Trade looks at all three US Wheat Futures Exchanges with extra info on Hard Red Winter Wheat and the why of that day's market.
Daily Oklahoma Cash Grain Prices- As Reported by the Oklahoma Dept. of Agriculture. <
The National Daily Feeder & Stocker Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
The National Daily Slaughter Cattle Summary- as prepared by USDA.
Finally, Here is the Daily Volume and Price Summary from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.



God Bless! You can reach us at the following:
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phone: 405-473-6144
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